Automobile



C. E. McCORMlCK.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18. 1920.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l- C. E. McCORMICK.

AUTOMOBILE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. I8, I920.

' Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

fiX/S OF PER/7504 45 Pun/E /7 TOP OFFFP/VME Pig/V5 5 lNVE/VTOR Patented NOV. 30, 1920.

rear portion thereof. In constructin UNITED STATES PATENT OFF-ICE.

CHARLES ELLSWORTH MGCORMICK, LEXINGTON, KENTUCKY, ASSIG-NOR TO MERCURY BODY CORPORATION, OF LEXINGTON, .KENTUCKY.

AUTOMOBILE.

I Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 30, 1920.

To all whom it may camera:

Be it known that 1, CHARLES E. MoCoR- MIoK,'a citizen of the United States,'and a resident of Lexington, in the county of Fayette and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and, useful Improvements in Automobiles; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in automobiles and more particularly to the body portion thereof, one object of the. invention being to provide features whereby a Ford car may be so modified in appearance and so improved structurally as to combine simple, comfortable and substantial qualities with pleasing streamline effects.

With this and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a side elevation showing a car embodying my'improvements; Fig. 2 is a plan view; Fi 3 is a longitudinal section; Figs. 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12 are detail views of parts of the sheet metal body, and Figs. 13, 14, 15 are views of certain details.

1 represents the underframe or chassis, the rear portion of which comprises bent beams 2 connected .by a cross beam 3,-said bent frame beams being so formed that the major portion of'the chassis shall be disposed in a lower plane than the plane of tge t e underframe 1,, I may employ a ord chassis from which the rear portions of the side bars and rear connecting beam have been removed, and the parts so removed will be replaced by the'bent beams 2 and cross beam 3. The effect of the employment of the added bent beams 2 will be to lower the major portion of a Ford chassis, and the ing supported by and suspended fromthe rear cross bar 3 of the chassis through the The main side members 11 taper toward the rear end of the body and portions of the tapering part of these members are rounded. The forward portion of each member 11 is made wlth an upward extension 18 having a rear curved and beveled edge 19.

The upper portions of the extension 18 of the two side members 11 are so bent as to form the transversely curved top of the body in front of the seat 20,-the edges 21 of said extensions being brought together and welded. The lower portion of each member 11 is cut away as indicated at 22 for the accommodation of a supplemental forward side member 14. Each member 14 has the form shown in Fig. 9 and is benton the lines 24 and 25. The flange 26 formed at the rear end of the member 14 is secured to a flange 27 at the rear end'of the cut-away portion 22 of the member 11 while the bentover portion or flange 28 overlies the wooden body frame and is welded to a. flange 29 of the member 11. Both flanges 28 and 29 are secured to the wooden body frame by suit able fastening means.

Rearwardly of the upward extensions of the members 11 of the body, said members are connected with the wooden body frame by means of clips 30, 31, which are welded to said side members and securely fastened to wooden body frame.

A dash board 32 is located at the forward ends of the members 11 and is secured thereto. The front member 15 of the body is securedat the forward ends of the supple- -mental side members 14 and between said front member and the dash board, the engine hood 16 is located,said'- hood being provided with hinged sections as is customary. y

The rear top member 12 of the tail portion of the body has a general tapering or oval form and is welded at its edges to the upper edges 34 of the tapering portions of the mg secure members 11, while the edges of the bottom rear member 13 are welded to the edges 35 of the members 11. The rear or tail portion of the body is reinforced and stiffened by a bulkhead 36 having flanged edges welded to the members of said rear or tail portion. A bar 37 (which may be made from anold Ford rear axle) isconnected at its-forward end with the rear cross bar of the chassis and extends rearwardly through the rear end of the tail portion of the body,-the rear projecting end 38 of said bar or axle serving as a mounting for a spare wheel. The bar 37 also serves to protect the sheet metal body in the event of a rear end collision. I Each side member 11 of the body is slotted as at 39 for the accommodation of the rear axle, and these side members are also provided with openings 40 '41 for the accommodation of brace rods 42-43. A slot 44 may be made in each member 11 to permit the assa e of steps 45, the latter beto t e woodenbody frame as shown in Fig. 2.

The-top member of the tail portion-of the body may be provided with an opening,

' closed by a door 46 and said top member may also be provided with an opening 47 to receive the extension 48 of a gasolene tank 4-9,the latter being mounted on the rear portion of the chassis.

To more particularly describe the metal body shell, with respect to its shape, it may be stated that the surface of said body shell,

from its rear end to a plane approximately fifty-four inches therefrom and perpendicular to the longitudinal axis, is of a shape to greatly decrease the unavoidable \head-on air resistance of the car. This portion of the surface of the metal body shell is formed by a combination of ellipses and parabolas, the relation of which can be best ex lained by reference to Figs. 4,5 and 12. he side view (Fig. 12) of the up er and lower tail members shows them re atively placed as they will be after assembl with the main side member 11 (Fig. 4). eferrin now to Fig. 12, let it be assumed that t e lines marked Axis of parabolas, plane A and Top of frame, plane F, are two horizontal and parallel planes two inchesapart. Let it also be assumed that the center line market Plane V on the plan view of the top tail member, Fig. 4, is a vertical plane perpendicular to planes A and F. Blane V contains two semi-parabolas whose origins and axes are coincident res ectively, the common axis lying in plane The projection of the upper tail member upon plane A is a portion 0 an ellipse the dimensions of which may be 39 inches by 108 inches 'and which has its center in the axis of parabolas and 54 inches from their origin. These three curves are the loci of the generating cross section as it moves always'perpendicular to the axis of parabolas, thereby forming the upper tail piece.- The cross section at. any given point is a semi-ellipse, the length of whose major axis is the same as the width'of the plane A ellipse taken at that particular point, and the length of its semiminor axis is determined by the distance between the two parabolas measured perpendicularly to plane A. The surface of the lower tail member is cylindrical and is formed along its circumference .and perpendicular to the ,plane of a quarter-ellipse 8 inches by 28 inches which lies in the vertical plane V and has its semi-major axis parallel to and two inches from the axis of parabolas. This last surface described and the intervening surface between the upper and lower tail members, are portions of the surface of right elliptical cylinders, the first surface having its elements horizontal, and the intervening surface having its elements perpendicular. Y Y

The construction of the underframe herein shown and described'is not specifically claimed herein but is embodied in applicatiorii for patent filed by me on even date herewit Various changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope and hence I do not wish f to the precise details hereupper edges of the tapering tail portions'of.

said'side members, and a bottom tail portion having a partly elliptical outline and curved lon itudinally, said bottom tail member secured to lower edges of the tapering portions of said side members.

2. A sheet metal automobile body, coniprising side members having tapering rear portions, a top tail member curved transversely and welded at its edges to upper edges of said side membeis, a bottom tail member curved longitudinally and welded at its edge to lower edges of said side members, and a bulkhead disposed within the body and welded to the tail portions thereof.

3. A sheet metal automobile body cimprising side members having rear tapering portions and forward upward extensions, said upward extensions bent and cooperatin to form a forward top portion, a top tail member-curved transversely and secured at its edges to the upper edges of the tapering side members, and a bottom tail member curved longitudinally and secured at its' edges to lower edges of the tapering portion of said side members.

4. An automobile body structure comprising a body frame and a sheet metal shell, said shell comprising side members and top and bottom tail members secured to said side members, and clips welded to said side members and secured to'said body frame.

5. An automobile body structure comprising a body frame, and a sheet metal shell, said shell comprising side members having upward extensions at their forward ends bent and cooperating to form a forward top portion, and top and bottom tail members secured at theiredges to upper and lower edges of said side members, and means securing said side members to the body frame.

6. ii an automobile structure, the combination with a chassis, a wooden body frame, and brackets connecting the rear end of the body frame with the rear end of the chassis, of a sheet metal body comprisingside members having tapering rear portions and forward upward extensions bent and cooperating to form a forward top portion and top and bottom tail portions secured at their edges to upper and lower edges respectively of the tapering portions of said side mem bers, and a bar connected with the rear end of the chassis and extending to the rear end of the tail portion of the sheet metal body.

7. An automobile body structure, comprising a body frame, and a sheet metal body comprising side members having forward upward extensions bent and cooperating to provide a forward top portion, said side members having rearwardly extending tapering portions and said side members having forward cut-away portions, supplemen tal side members located at said cut-away portions of the first-mentioned side members and secured to the latter and to the body frame, a front member at the forward ends of said supplemental side members, and top and bottom tail members secured at their edges respectively to the upper and lower edges of the tapering portions of said firstmentioned side members.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification.

CHARLES ELLSWORTH McCORMlCK. 

